Brett Kasper’s perfectly flighted pass toward an open Sam Mentkowski streaking up the sideline fell to the ground mere inches out of the outstretched hands of the receiver.

Kevin MacCudden got a few fingers on a fumbled ball but not enough to corral it.

Greg Rand’s game-tying extra point attempt hooked just wide of the left upright.

And on fourth-and-4 from near midfield with about one minute to play, Devon Linzenmeyer’s leaping grab at Kasper’s desperation heave in his direction glanced off the top of his gloves and fell incomplete.

Added up, the distance from those plays going the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s way was maybe a foot. Possibly even a foot-and-a-half. It was that close.

And in a game the magnitude of an NCAA Division III national quarterfinal and with teams the caliber of the third-ranked Titans and fifth-ranked and two-time defending national champion UW-Whitewater, the difference between winning and losing is often going to be an inch here or six inches there.

That’s what bit the Titans.

Despite Linzenmeyer’s huge performance in place of an injured Dylan Hecker and the Titans twice rallying from double-digit deficits, UW-Oshkosh’s 2015 stellar season came to an end in the fading afternoon on Saturday in a 31-29 loss to the Warhawks on J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

“Pretty good game, huh?” were UWO head coach Pat Cerroni’s only words when first asked for his thoughts on the preceding 60 minutes of football.

Whitewater, which will travel to Mount Union for a national semifinal next weekend, asserted itself from the start scoring on its first possession of the game. The Warhawks marched 74 yards on seven running plays and a 2-yard pass, with Jordan Ratliffe powering in from 2 yards out for the touchdown.

Ratliffe finished with 164 yards on 34 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns, after being limited to just 81 yards and 4.2 yards per carry when the Titans beat the Warhawks in the regular season.

“We were worried about the pass a little bit going into the game, and they came out running and we kind of got punched in the mouth in the beginning,” said UWO linebacker Reese Dziedzic. “My concern was don’t let them get up early.”

The Warhawks marched inside the Titans’ 20-yard line on their next possession, too, only to be thwarted on fourth down when Johnny Eagan broke up a pass intended for Marcus Hudson.

Kasper was intercepted on the first play of the ensuing drive, but the defense held the Warhawks to just a 33-yard field goal by Will Meyer.

“We made some big stops in the first half. This thing could have been over early,” Cerroni said. “When everything is going bad, you hope you have the team that has the heart to make it right and they did. They did all day.”

Rand’s 19-yard field goal with 3 ½ minutes left in the first half capped a 12-play drive and got the Titans on the board. UWO even drew 36 seconds before halftime on a weaving 25-yard touchdown by Linzenmeyer – his first of two scores on the day.

Both teams scored quickly to open third quarter with UWO’s Cody Moon hauling in a 30-yard pass to cap a three-play drive that answered a Warhawk score. Rand’s missed PAT, though, left Whitewater in the lead.

After running Ratliffe for much of the first half, the Warhawks switched to more passing in the third quarter. Hudson, who finished with 106 yards on six catches, broke open behind the Titan defense for the first score of the third quarter and hauled in a 7-yarder in tight coverage for the second for a 24-16 lead.

Whitewater extended the lead further later in the quarter, taking advantage of a wind-shortened punt and a UWO personal-foul penalty, to take the 31-16 advantage.

“We knew we were going to give something up there in the third quarter, but we felt like we had the firepower to bring it back,” Cerroni said. “To make this thing close in the fourth. Played out exactly the way we thought, other than not scoring.”

Linzenmeyer’s 21-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the fourth quarter narrowed the gap, while Kasper found Zach Kasuboski streaking through the middle for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 3:42 left.

Forced to go for a two-point conversion, Kasuboski came up short after catching a pass from Kasper, leaving the Titans still trailing by two.

The Titans regained possession with 1:48 on the clock at midfield, but after a short gain and two incompletions, Kasper’s pass to Linzenmeyer was incomplete. Whitewater was able to run out the clock from there.

“I had no doubt (we would score). I was very confident. This time, we just came up a little short,” Cerroni said. “Their defense is phenomenal.”

Kasper finished 20-of-38 for 222 yards, and Linzenmeyer ran for 130 as the Titans outgained the Warhawks, 444-410 – an advantage in yards, just not in the inches they needed.